Anthony Anderson hosted the ceremony at the Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, on what would have been Martin Luther King Jr.'s 89th birthday

Published Jan 16, 2018 at 3:47 AM

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Ava DuVernay accepts the Entertainer of the Year award onstage during the 49th NAACP Image Awards at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on January 15, 2018, in Pasadena, California.

A jubilant Ava DuVernay was named entertainer of the year at an NAACP Image Awards ceremony that focused on the black community's power to create change.

DuVernay lauded other black artists from the stage as she accepted her award Monday night, naming writers and directors such as Shonda Rhimes, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Kenya Barris and "Black Panther" Ryan Coogler.

"This is our time," DuVernay said. "We can say we were here when all this gorgeous art was happening, and that we supported it — that we lifted each other up, that we did as Dr. King said we would do: Live the dream. We're the dream."

Anthony Anderson hosted the ceremony at the Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, on what would have been Martin Luther King Jr.'s 89th birthday. While his politically tinged monologue poked fun at the presidential administration and Omarosa Manigault, others used their time onstage to encourage more civic involvement and the fight for social justice.

Glover spoke specifically of a Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi, where 80 percent of employees are black, that has yet to organize.

"Civil rights and labor rights have always been one and the same," he said.

The special awards provided some of the night's most poignant moments.

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Halle Berry talked about the significance of presenting the NAACP Image Awards on Martin Luther King Jr. day.

"We need to take heed to his eloquent words: 'Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter,'" she said. "Today is an affirmation that we will never ever, ever, ever be silent again."

She presented the Music Makes a Difference award to Charlie Wilson, who talked about his road from addiction and homelessness to musical success and philanthropy.

He said he prayed and promised that if he could survive the streets, he would return to serve others. Wilson said Monday that he has been sober for 22 years and is focused on helping homeless addicts.

Labor organizer William Lucy received the Chairman's Award for his more than 40 years of service. Beyond his union leadership, Lucy was also an activist who fought apartheid in South Africa.

He dedicated his award to the Memphis sanitation workers who went on strike in 1968, several of whom were in the audience at the Image Awards. King spoke to the striking employees the night before he was assassinated.

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Another arresting moment in the show came during singer Andra Day's chilling performance of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit." Rapper Common joined her for their song "Stand Up for Something," and the whole audience rose to its feet.